Senior Reflection 4

Last Blog! I wanted to use this reflection to say thank you Mr. Stroud! the past two years in AP Gov. and APUSH have been great. I can honestly say that I have learned a lot in my two years in the learning cabin. I think I've been well prepared for both of my AP exams and now never have to take another history or government class again. So thanks PaPa Stroud.

Current Event 4

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that immigrants convicted of minor drug offences should not face automatic deportation. This decision could allow thousands of legal immigrants that chance to argue leniency from immigration judges. The court over ruled the legal interpretations of the federal government and a lower appeals court saying that Jose Angel Carachuri-Rosendo should have the opportunity to state his case to stay in the country. Carachuri-Rosendo was a citizen of the United States for five years before he was deported back to Mexico after being convicted of possessing a single tablet of Xanax and a small amount of Marijuana earlier that year.

I think that this is an important decision for the court. Although zero tolerance policies are effective, they leave no room for discretion. the Ability to be subjective is an important aspect to the government in the United States.

Senior Reflection 3

I'm going to use space to rant about the dumbest class our school offers, AP Study Hall. I was pushed into taking this class by Mr. Paganan three days before school started because I had a conflict in my schedule. It's only third period so I have the class every day. Usually its just a nuisance, but now that we have finished AP exams I literally has nothing to do in that class. So for the past month I have just sat in study hall, not allowed to talk, move, or go to the bathroom. It is ridiculous, and tomorrow I have two hours of study hall, two hours to sit.

Current Event 3

Today, June 4th President Obama will meet With the Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer. Brewer said that the meeting was cordial, despite the disagreement over the state law signed in April, which granted Police in the stat of Arizona greater power to enforce federal immigration laws. Obama declined to announce whether the Justice Department plans to file a lawsuit to block the legislation. The white house would like Brewer to work with Obama to help pass comprehensive changes to the immigration system that would provide citizens already in the state with a path to citizenship. Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, said that the president particularly wanted Brewer to help persuade Arizona senator, John McCain, to support broad immigration legislation as he has in the past.

It is interesting to see federalism at work in our own country. All though its not going off with out a hitch, the president is clearly using the power of publicity to try and sway the Arizona Governor. Its also funny to see that there is a significant amount of post election interaction between President Obama and Senator John McCain. Hope there are no hard feelings.

Senior Reflection 2

I must admit that sense AP Exams I have found myself in a terrible habit of slacking. All through this year I've done a relatively good job of not falling into and bad habits of procrastinating. But once I finished all my AP Exams all bets were off. I used to carry at least six pencils, all perfectly sharped, and at least six pens. But now your lucky if I have anything to write with, forget about it being sharp. I hate senioritis. And this is why my blog is so late.

Current Event 2

President Obama signed a memo in June of last year extending some benefits to same sex partners of federal workers. On June 1st The Office of Personal Management broadened the definition of relatives to include same sex domestic partners of federal workers. This allows same sex partners to apply for benefits beginning next month. This extension of the definition of relatives did not apply, however, to opposite sex domestic partners because they can obtain the same benefits through marriage. The federal worker must simply submit a form, which states that the two people are domestic partners and intend to stay together indefinitely, to their employer. These couples are not required to provide further evidence of the relationship because the Office of Personal Management said that it would burden the couples more than other relatives.

This change in federal policy is a big step in, what seems to be the right direction, for equality for same sex couples. The federal government as proven to be very proactive on this particular issue compared to others. I hope that this will set a trend of political tolerance and acceptance for all same sex couples.

Senior Reflection 1

I am so ready to move on from Herndon. Senior year has been great and all, I'm just really excited for JMU next year. I just signed up for an "outdoor excursion" at JMU and I get to go backpacking and rock climbing along the Appalachian Trail. Next year I'll get so many more opportunities to get out and do fun things in the Shenandoah area. I can go biking, camping, hiking, what ever I want, because even though Harrisonburg isn't the nicest town, the area around it is absolutely beautiful. I'm so glad that that is where I'll be next year, not here in Herndon.

Current Event 1

The frist progress was made in successfully containing the oil that gushes from the well in the Gulf of Mexico. BP engineers inserted a tube in to a leakin pipe and began to siphon some of the oil to a drilling rig at the surface. This did nothing to close the whole, and a significant amount of oil continues to leak at the bomttom of the gulf. But at least BP has begun to find some success three weeks into this environmental crisis.

This article was interesting because it addressed the extrem engineering that is requiered for thes crisis. But it does not ignor the three weeks it took for anything to be successfully used to slove this crisis. Even now the oil continuse to leak at an alarming rate, and the article throughly addressed this isssue and how reletivly little is being done to releave the leek. Because we can not efficiently clean up the oil, I think this lack of inovation will prove more harmful than we think. I also hope that this issue will help to push the search for alternative fule sources.

link

Editorial 5

Obama Administration, MIA in Gun Control
link
One of the guns used to shoot two pentagon police officers this month was purchased from the Memphis police department and sold several times reaching a gun show in Nevada all through loop holes in the current gun control policies. Police departments should never resell confiscated items, including guns confiscated during a drug bust. Weapons like such should be burned or destroyed after confiscation. Its relatively easy for the Obama administration to make everyone a little safer by closing these loop holes in gun control. The 500 strong bipartisan coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns has outlined 40 steps that the Obama administration can take on its own to get illegal guns off the streets. This group also urges The Department of Justice to set up prosecutions of the most dangerous prohibited purchasers.

Its shocking to learn that its so easy to cheat the current gun control system. I think that stronger gun control laws are definitely necessary to ensure the safety of all citizens. Not limiting guns completely, just filling in the loopholes to to ensure that all guns are both legally owned and used. If the Obama administration has the means to fill in these holes, I really think they should.

Editorial 4

Better Student Loans
link
Democrats are currently trying to use reconciliation to pass two major pieces of legislation in the Senate, health care reform and student loans. So people see this as a sneaky last minuet attempt, but that's not fair.

I agree. As a soon to be college student I am bound to take out student loan, and would not mind receiving some of the federal funding. And reconciliation is a part of out democratic system, which was put in place to help congress rationalize the budget. So It doesn't seem unfair for Democrats to use it.

Editorial 3

I Search of Plan C
Link
The Obama Administrations current health care proposal is at risk of failure for many reasons. First is the timing of the proposal. The "Cadillac" tax on expensive health care programs will not be active until President Obama is out of office, even if he serves two terms. In addition, taxes are an important aspect of the new heath care proposal with extended programs. With no imitate tax on premium plans, the U.S. is missing out on crucial tax dollars. Obama's unwillingness to fight for these taxes is a bad sign for the failing medicare system, desperate for additional funds. As the Obama administration struggles to find support in congress, most legislators a interested in a Plan C for health care reform.

I must admit I'm not as well informed about health care reforms as I should be. But the argument of this editorial seems valid. why wait on taxes that we so desperately need for health care. At this point health care reform seems to be a necessary evil for both President Obama and for congress. At this point I think that we need to reform not only our health care system, but the way in which we reform it. A Plan C sounds like the only reasonable decision at this point, I just hope the reforms come sooner rather that latter.

Editorial 2

Here's the link
Because of the genocide and suffering in the Sudan, it is not unlikely that the Obama administration will adopt this crisis. But it appears that there is a new chance for peace in the Sudan, where that war is accountable for approximately 300,000 deaths. Bashir appears ready to make peace, which is primarily driven by the up coming election, the country's first in 26 years. Bashir is running against 11 other candidates. The out come of this election is crucial to deciding whether the Sudan will separate into its own separate country. which it most likely will. The potential for violence is enormous. The stance that Obama adopted on the Sudan is one of incentives and punishments, and this election could prove a turning point for the relationship of the United States and Bashir.

I think it will be rather interesting to see not only how the elections in Darfur play out, but also the reaction and response of the Obama administration. I personally think its ridiculous that the UN has not become more involved with the situation in the Sudan, but that makes the role of the United State that much more important.

Editorial

Global Warming Advocates Ignore the Boulders
Here's the link

This editorial is about the never ending debate over climate change. George Will argues that in the fight against global, Americans are following blindly, as are many major corporations. Most people have seen no evidence of global warming, yet they still fight it. This lack of evidence is completely ignored. And although the global warming industry is currently suffering there is too much support for a cause with too little evidence. Will uses the Washington, DC record breaking blizzard as evidence against global warming.

I completely disagree with this article. I think Global warming is a serious threat that needs to be addressed. A blizzard in DC does not mean snow everywhere. How can snow in one city be evidence against global warming? Washington DC is the world.

Help Haiti

I can't help it, I've been drawn in by the media and the sheer devastation that Haiti has suffered. So I thought that I would try and use my blog to help. This is definitely one of those situations where as a teen is ease to feel that you can't make a difference for these people. But you can! Here are some easy ways to help,

• To donate $10 to relief efforts via the Red Cross, text the word Haiti to 90999.
• To give online, go to americanredcross.org and crs.org.
• If you'd rather call in your donation, the number is 1-800-RED-CROSS.
• You can also donate to Doctors Without Borders online at doctorswithoutborders.org
• Check out CNN.com's great roundup of ways to donate.
• Or hold a bake sale (my personal favorite)

I know that this was really annoying of me, but I couldn't help it, hope you enjoy the ideas!

Political Cartoon 6

Yeah my numbers were off.

This cartoon was drawn by Petar Pismestrovic and published byKleine Zeitung of Austria on January 18th.

This cartoon addresses the issue of the Obama administration. with a year now in office, people are beginning to look critically on what work Obama has done. The work of the Obama administration ranges from climate change, to finance, and war. The cartoon conveys too things. First that Obama has done a lot of work while in office, his term has not been easy. But the cartoon also says that there is much more work to be done in all of those fields. If Obama is not careful all of these issues could pile up on him, creating an even bigger mess than we already have.

I agree with the massage of this cartoon. Obama has a lot on his plate, and there is no doubt that he has done a significant amount of work in the past year. But the Obama administration has yet to really solve any of these big issues. Although Obama has done a lot of work in the past year, hes gonna need to do a lot more in the years to come in order to fix these American issues.

2010

I must admit I have no idea what 2010 will bring politically for the United States, but I am hopeful. The current economic situation seems to be improving, and hopefully that trend will continue in the months to come. But it is important for Americans to understand that the economy will not fix over night, regardless of what political actions are taken, so we can expect economic growth to be slow, but hopefully steady.

Along with the economy comes unemployment. With unemployment numbers drastically high, I can only hope that with the steady improvement of the economy, employment will follow. Politicians have talked a lot about creating new jobs, but so far little political action has proved beneficial. So hopefully politicians can take action o their promises.

The health care bill has come very far in the past year. And although it has received approval from the Senate, the division between political parties has hindered any real improvements on the bill. Hopefully in 2010 we can manage to reach a bipartisan decision to improve the health of all Americans.

The war in the Middle East has turned out to be a very confusing situation, and I believe that things will get a lot more complicated in the Middle East before we can reach peace, but that's what I'm hopeful for, peace in 2010.

Political Cartoon 6

This cartoon was drawn by Wolverton on January 10th, published by Cagle Cartoons. this cartoon addresses the issue of the current state of American security and the people who threaten it. With the most recent security scares like the member of Alquda that got through airport security and planed to bomb the plane, American citizens are felling less and less assured about the security of our nation. the cartoon makes a good point. With a security system that has so many undeniable flaws, its only a matter of time until a real threat is allowed to terrorize our country. Unless changes are made to our current security system, American is setting it's self up for more threats from extremest organizations, such as Alquda. We can't leave our country so susceptible to threats.

Thanksgiving

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, hands down. Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays left that is not focused on gifts, cards, or any other kind of consumerism. It is a holiday on which the only things I have to worry about are food and family. It's all about the things that we have, not the things that we want or wish we had. Thanksgiving is in celebration of the coming together of the Pilgrims and the native Americans. And thousands of American families come together on Thanksgiving each year to simple celebrate each other. But I also love that fact that Thanksgiving is the one day a year that your aloud to be completely glutinous and none says a thing. I love Tofurky!

Political Cartoon 5

This political cartoon was drawn by Adam Zyglis and published by The Buffalo News on 12/17/2009. This cartoon deals with the issue of the health care reform. The cartoon shows how the compromises being made between Democrats and Republicans in both the Senate and the House of Representatives is weighing down the entire health care reform. I agree with this cartoon. The health care reform act is important to the American future. Politicians' inability to reach across party lines is weakening our county's ability to move forward in anyway